With a hiss of contentment, Elin wriggled in her den under the warm glow of her heat lamp. Though the intent was to take a relaxing afternoon nap, the glare from the nearby window gnawed at her. Popping open her third eyelid, a conflicted sigh passed her lips. Maybe Darla was right. It was the middle of summer, and here she was, tucked away in her cozy little fortress. The house snake suddenly felt very silly, hiding from the daylight while still craving its warmth. Her chipmunk friend loved gallivanting around outside and cheering up her neighbors. And, well, Elin was a scary reptile with pointy fangs and slit pupils.
Still, Darla had pointed out that she wasn't doing herself any favors by continuing to isolate herself from others. So, mildly annoyed at her own timidity, Elin slithered out of her nest of soft blankets, catching sight of her own reflection in the window. Gasping in realization, the naked snake cringed and cupped her breasts. There was no way she could sunbathe outside. Not with clothes keeping her scales insulated from the invigorating rays. And yet, even as her brain begged for her to return to her simple lamp-lit bed, the grey-scaled snake's gaze fixated on the bright summer sky.
It's fine, Elin told herself, basking in the soft glow from the window. She'll just… wear a swimsuit. It's fine. Nobody will care about her body. Not really. It's not like she's a mammal. Everyone thinks snakes are creepy anyway. They probably won't even notice her.
Elin slipped outside into the midday sunlight and looked around, feeling terribly conspicuous in her bright yellow bikini. The shy snake had thought it looked nice with her scales, but she never thought she'd actually be wearing it outside. How did other anthros do it? It was so daring! Elin's flimsy swimwear barely covered her private parts. She could feel the warm sun on her belly and thighs, her scales shining as the sunlight soaked into them. It felt a bit liberating, she admitted, but terrifying all the same. She was basically naked in public, and everyone could see her cleavage and butt cheeks. Tail squirming about, the bikini-clad snake scurried along the sidewalk, still unsure if this was a good idea or not.
Arriving at the beach, Elin noted there was some kind of gathering at the far end of the shore. Quickly steering clear of the throng of excited anthros, she moved to climb a deserted sand dune and began sunbathing. To her dismay, several people glanced her way on their way by, which made her want to slither into a bush and hide. Forcing herself to focus on the warm rays of sunshine beating down upon her, the house snake simply tried to breathe as normal and relax. No one would pay much attention to her if she didn't act weird. Elin knew she was avoiding the entire reason for her trip to the beach, but… baby steps. Slowly she climbed higher until she found a spot on the crest of the sandy hill where she could safely bask without having to worry about others looking at her.
The sun-warmed sand felt soft against her scales, and she shimmied about a little, curling up her tail with delight as the gentle breeze tickled her scales. In a moment of rebellion against her own prudishness, she even decided to unfasten her bikini top and let the garment fall to the ground. Flicking her tongue out to scent the air, she relished the slight saltiness of the ocean water with the occasional hints of smoke from nearby grills and cook fires. Her heart swelled with joy at the experience of basking in the open sunlight and being able to relax completely surrounded by nature. Even if there were lots of anthros enjoying themselves close by, for now they were far enough away for Elin to enjoy the peace and quiet.
Feeling even bolder than before, the topless snake tugged at her bikini bottom and began wriggling out of it too. Her bottoms soon joined the discarded top on the sand, leaving Elin stark naked in the sun with just her tail left to cover her modesty. It was nice. A lot nicer than sitting cooped up inside her den while watching daytime television or staring at a computer screen all day. With a smirk, Elin wondered how Darla would react to finding out she'd come to the beach and had stripped completely nude. She doubted it would be anything less than a proud hug from the cheery chipmunk.
Hissing happily to herself, the relaxed serpent stretched out on her front, the sun warming her backside. Staring into the distance, she watched the waves rolling up the shore in slow, steady rhythm. From up here, she could watch the various anthros mingling about below. Elin saw that the crowd around the other end of the beach had grown considerably since she arrived. She wasn't sure what was going on down there, but whatever it was, it was drawing plenty of people. Unable to stifle her curiosity, the nude snake began slithering toward the edge of the dune and peered down at the gathering.
There was some kind of contest happening over there, she realized, seeing several anthros making large sculptures out of sand and others wandering around to snap pictures of the progress. How interesting! Before she realized it, Elin was creeping closer, disturbing the sand beneath her bare body as she spied on the frantic sculptors from afar. As she leaned forward, her scaled body pressing down on the delicate grains of sand below, the exposed reptile felt the harsh grit rasp along her vulnerable nipples. Instinctively, the startled snake tried to draw back but realized too late that she was sinking off the edge of the dune, her long tail causing an avalanche of sand as it flailed about in desperation.